Re: [cobalt-users] Sun Solaris??? Bad Business Decision

["Graeme Fowler" <graeme.f@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bill Micke wrote:

> If Sun puts Solaris on the RaQs, they can kiss my... er,  I mean, I
will
> not purchase any more RaQs.

<snip massively top-posted message which wasn't even relevant>

I've been following this thread [1] since the start. I have to ask a
question:

Apart from the one or two people who have already expressed this, just
how many people on this list have actually *used* Solaris? [Rhetorical
question so don't go replying to it].

I have used Solaris on both Sun and Intel hardware. Apart from the usual
gripes I have with any operating system (hidden gotchas in things like
open file limits, process limits and the like - which we don't often see
mentioned on this list) I couldn't really complain. In fact under
certain conditions I prefer Solaris on SPARC, but I'll keep quiet about
that :)

The syntax for the shell is different, sure, but then it's a pure System
V based Unix rather than a hodge-podge of BSD/SysV semantics [2].

Those of us on the list who are capable of doing 'behind-the-scenes'
stuff with the CobaltOS CLI will notice some differences, but the
arguments about software availability become null and void when you
realise that just about all GNU software and other open-source scheme
software will compile under Solaris. I have personally setup Apache,
MySQL, PHP, replacements for Sendmail (Exim & Qmail), webmail packages,
Apache modules (mod_ssl, mod_perl and the like) under both Intel and
SPARC Solaris without any problems at all. Well, I did have to compile
them ;-) and there's the big difference - there is simply not the
precompiled package base for Solaris.
(Maybe if Sun used its' marketing weight a little there would be, but I
doubt it.)

Sun would be stoopid if it decided to cease supporting the entire
current Cobalt product line *unless* it dropped things sequentially. Who
expects to get full support for (say) a RaQ2 in five years time? That's
where lists like this come in useful - we will continue to help out and
support hardware and software which is long-since obsolete since we have
a vested interest in doing so. We after all own and use some of it.

IMHO those with no experience of Solaris should maybe go try it out
before slagging it off. You would after all not call a similar car to
the one you own bad just because you haven't driven it...

If Cobalt/Sun decide to make the RaQ5 run Solaris, I doubt it will
affect many of us very much with the exception of 'add-on' software
packages. Some of the packages will probably get generated by members of
this list - which might mean they get tested better in the first place,
and wouldn't be a bonus!

And bear in mind that in order to convert the entire product line to
Solaris, Sun would have to make Cobalt's entire development and support
team redundant; or at the very least send them on Solaris retraining
courses. I wouldn't think that's financially (or politically!)
acceptable, not even for a company as large as Sun.

[1] OK, the original thread mutated into this one
[2] If you don't know what this means, look up the history of Unix on
the web. It all came out of competition, unsurprisingly.

Shall we wait until a real announcement before getting hot under the
collar? I know I will.

Graeme

--
Graeme Fowler
System Administrator
WebFusion Internet Solutions